THE HEALING HEART

by Zelda Clemens

  “Does he smell safe?” she asked the cat. Cleopatra just stretched out her front paws and followed Julie into her room where she promptly claimed the queen size bed. Julie found a pair of jeans to wear along with tight fitting shirt of purple she felt made her look slender. Without thinking about it she started to put just a little make-up on and scolded herself when she was done.

  “Stop all those thoughts from going through your head Julie Grows, it is not going to happen, and it is very unladylike to think that way,” she told her reflection.

  “Is it normal for humans to talk themselves as well?” Cyrus said, standing at the door holding one of her red towels around his hips.

  Julie flushed, suddenly liking unconscious Cyrus more than awake and semi-alert one.

  *****

  Cyrus kept his towel on, but he said he did it only because she seemed more flustered with it removed. He now sat on her couch, idly petting her cat. The bandage she created for him was still on and so was the badly stitched job. The only clue that Julie was picking up that he was getting better or healing was that the tattoos semi-dormant before were now definitely swirling quickly. She fixed food in the kitchen, nothing fancy just some chicken she had marinated and cut up some broccoli to steam. All Cyrus had really asked of her was for water, which he drank a lot of. He said he was Sion, not human, did that mean she had an actual alien sitting on her couch petting her cat?

  “I hope you like chicken,” she said.

  “If it is an edible substance I will appreciate it whether it is good or not,” he said.

  Cleopatra jumped away from him and wound herself around Julie’s legs letting her know it was time to feed her. She stepped back from their meal and went to feed her. Cyrus moved slightly on the couch to take in the sight more.

  “So this fur thing owns you then?” he asked.

  “No, I own her. She’s a cat, my pet, don’t you have one?”

  “But you feed and water her, and she seems to believe the house is hers, how does that make her a pet? And no, she is the first cat I have seen,” Cyrus replied.

  “I rescued her from a shelter when she was a kitten, and they do say that cats own people not the other way around,” Julie said thoughtfully. Cleopatra purred at her dinner.

  Julie brought the food and more water to the small table she had in front of the couch. Cyrus gingerly picked up the plate and used the fork to pick at the chicken. Before Julie had gotten two bites in, his food was already gone.

  “Thank you, this will help with the healing,” he said. Then he touched her messy stitch mark and the bandage.

  “These will help as well.”

  “What are you?” Julie asked.

  “I am Sion, a Prince of Sion, I told you this when you fell in the shower,” he said. Julie didn’t want to be reminded of falling in the shower.

  “I’ve never heard of a Sion, or a Prince,” she flushed. She had a nearly-naked Prince over at her dusty little apartment.

  “It is a side dimension from your world, it is like we co-exist but we cannot see each other. My brother was trying to kill me for the throne, as is custom, so I jumped through a portal and landed at your library. I am in your debt for saving me. I was for certain going to bleed out,” he said. He held her gaze when he talked to her. When he was done she remembered how to breathe again, even coughed before settling on her food.

  “You always kill for the throne?” Julie asked.

  “Or marry, but neither of us has found love, and with father sick we had to fight,” Cyrus said. He leaned back against her couch looking troubled. Julie sat on the floor watching him, finishing half her food before offering him the rest, which he took with grace.

  “But if you or he found love, you would not have to kill each other?” Julie asked.

  “Perhaps, though my brother wants the throne badly, and I have not seen the one who has made me fall in love,” Cyrus said, she could feel an echo of sorrow to his words. “No, Kraekel will not stop until I am dead, or I kill him, but I will wait till I am healed.”

  He suddenly stood up and walked around to her, careful to hold the towel in place. Cyrus bent down across from her and she could feel his cool breath on her face, he was bending forward and Julie skirted back.

  “Wh-what are you doing?” she asked, now to her feet.

  “I was going to kiss you as thanks,” Cyrus said, once again looking confused. “On Sion we kiss to show we are grateful, and since the things you have all around here with words some have two humans kissing, I thought it was much the same.”

  Julie turned red, he was going to kiss her then. She was not opposed to the idea but it was not right to kiss a half-naked alien prince, she couldn’t tell herself why, but it just wouldn’t be. Even though her heart was beating fast and her stomach was clenching trying to stop the butterflies from hatching from their cocoons. She hadn’t felt this way since college when she thought she had been in love, but Eric was just an infatuation. He had quickly left her after they had sex a dozen times for a newer model that wasn’t as tried out—at least that was what she had gathered from the ‘we are over’ text message she got from him.

  “On Earth we normally kiss on the second date,” she said.

  “Date?” Cyrus inquired.

  “Date, it is when two people go out together. To a movie or a restaurant. They talk and if they like each other by the end of the second one they kiss. Though I’m probably talking a bit old-fashioned as humans will kiss when they have had a lot of alcohol as well, and some men will force women to kiss when they don’t want to,” Julie stopped herself. Cyrus was staring at again, with his strange stillness as if he were drinking in her words.

  “So a kiss, for Earth, is complicated,” he finally said.

  Julie nodded her head.

  “We do not have dates in Sion, but we do kiss freely. We fall in love with our mate at first sight,” he said frankly.

  “We don’t believe in love at first sight here,” Julie said, fidgeting with the rug.

  “A pity,” Cyrus said, keeping his gaze on her a moment longer before looking back to her cat. She let out a sigh of relief. It was pleasantly uncomfortable to be stared at by Cyrus.

  “What can I do to thank you for your help?” He asked.

  “Well, um, there was an earthquake where I worked. All the shelves fell over and all the books tumbled to the floor, you could help me put those away,” she said.

  “Earthquake? No, that was me jumping through the portal. These books you say are important to you? I will help you clean up my mess.” He paused, took a sip of water and then caught her gaze again. “And Julie, I know you mentioned movies but I do not know what these things are, could we call this a date?”

  *****

  Julie’s mind went into a million directions at once. No one had asked her on a date in two years, and it would be an alien from another planet who wanted to go on one with her.

  “Do all humans spend so much time in their heads?” Cyrus asked.

  “Oh, no, maybe. I just haven’t been asked on a date in a long time,” Julie confessed.

  “Then we shall go on one,” Cyrus decided standing up then falling back down onto the couch.

  “After I heal,” he said. The towel was falling off again and as much as Julie wanted to see what was beneath, she adverted her gaze. He fixed himself and closed his eyes.

  “Yes, rest would be good. And you need human clothes and maybe a pair of sunglasses. We need to do something to you so you look more human,” Julie said standing to her feet. It wasn’t that late, she could run to the store and find something that would fit him. Long sleeves, jeans, she would pick up a number of things for him to try on.

  “Will the cat let me rest on her couch?” Cyrus asked.

  “Why don’t you go rest on my bed,” Julie said. “She might curl up on you.”

  Cyrus nodded, and holding tightly to his towel, he started towards her bedroom. It allowed her to admire his backside. He had to be at least six foot tw
o inches she hoped she could find something to fit him. It wasn’t like she was hurting on money it was just her and Cleopatra. The library paid well for as little use it got.

  “Thank you again, Julie,” he said, staring back at her from the doorway. “Not many would show this kindness to a stranger, especially one that is not from this planet.”

  She shivered, she wished his voice didn’t do that to her. Julie nodded her head and grabbed her purse to head out the door. On the way to the store, she called Ethel and explained that the library was shut down because of a small Earthquake and not to worry about coming in the next day. Ethel thanked her. After all, she was an old woman with a bad back and all. That meant Julie would have the day alone, with Cyrus, organizing books. To her it felt like the perfect date and she couldn’t stop from smiling as she browsed through the local department store trying to find clothes that would fit Cyrus.

  Julie decided on three pairs of jeans and three long-sleeved button up shirts—one a dark purple, one black, and a grey one, along with a package of boxers. He was going to have to go looking cyber-punk if he was to fit in. The cash register looked over the clothing and gave Julie a suspicious look.

  “Got a new boyfriend Ms. Librarian?” the clerk asked.

  “No,” Julie said quickly her cheeks flushing. “Just a friend in town, his um… his bags didn’t make it on the plane so I offered to get him some clothes.”

  “Friend, huh?” the clerk rang up the clothes. No secrets in this town. Oh well, she would be the center of dinner conversations tonight. As long as her parents didn’t come knocking on her door, she was fine with that.

  Once she had the clothes, she went back to her apartment. The kitchen light was still on, her bedroom door slightly open. Cyrus lay beneath the blankets curled on his side Cleopatra was comfortably curled in his long hair. The towel was folded at the end of the bed letting her know there was nothing but sheets covering his form. Julie left the clothes at the end of the bed, quietly grabbed her pillow and an extra blanket to sleep on the couch. He didn’t stir. It was like he was in a healing cocoon. There was a light purple glow around his form. She snuck back out into the living room, turned off all the lights, and it didn’t take her long to fall asleep herself.

  *****

  Julie awoke in her own bed startled. She sat straight up and smelled food being cooked in her kitchen. Her clock on the side said it was 7 a.m. so not too late in the day. Cyrus was nowhere to be seen but she could hear him talking in the kitchen.

  “I don’t understand your language, though it seems quite complex,” he was talking to Cleopatra who was winding her legs around his as he cooked eggs. Cyrus wore only a pair of jeans that hugged his hips better than she imagined they would and had put the purple shirt on without buttoning it. His tattoos were swirling as he concentrated on an open cookbook in front of him.

  “She’s asking for food,” Julie said, moving to get Cleopatra her breakfast.

  “Ah, do all humans speak cat?” he inquired, going back to scrambling eggs. She smelled bacon he was cooking in the oven. There was buttered toast already.

  “I don’t really speak cat, we just have a connection,” Julie said scratching the top of Cleopatra’s head.

  “I think I would like a cat,” Cyrus said and he smiled at her. “You slept on the couch, it was not my intention to kick you from your bed. When I awoke, I moved you then cleaned up, and now I will make a human breakfast to share. Does that suit you?”

  Julie looked around and her apartment was clean, not a spot of alien blood on the floor or dust. On the kitchen counter she could see he read through several cookbooks along with instruction manuals on how to use the equipment she had.

  “It does, thank you,” she took a seat at the table. He laid a plate of food in front of her before making one for himself. His steps were far livelier than she expected a man—Alien—who had nearly bled out to bed.

  “When did you wake up?”

  “Your clock read 2 a.m. I had much time to myself but I must ask your help again on getting these stitches out,” he turned to his side and she could see the skin had healed over her messy needle work. It was going to take scissors then some tweezers for them to be pulled out.

  “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it would do that!”

  “Do not fret, it was needed, you just do not have the proper thread from my world,” Cyrus said. He sat across from her and they ate their breakfast, Julie catching glimpses of his chest with each movement he made. She really needed to get her mind out of the gutter this was a prince across from her. Julie did not think herself anywhere worthy of a prince. He would come to his senses about this whole date thing once he realized how boring she was with her books.

  When they finished, Cyrus removed the shirt, Julie knew she stared too long, and then went to fetch scissors and tweezers to pull the string out. Cyrus lay down on the couch and she got close again to that icy skin.

  “I’m sorry if it hurts,” Julie said.

  “Don’t be,” Cyrus replied and relaxed his body almost feline like—watching her. Julie put a hand to his stomach, it was hard, the skin was still cold but there was a strange undertone of warmth to it. She cut at the first stitch and began to pull it through. There were little holes of silver left behind but he did not complain once. Against his tattoo was swirling and she could see a purple glow around the holes.

  “Touch, Julie, you’re curious and I give you my permission to touch,” Cyrus said.

  Julie placed her hand over the healing skin, and it felt like someone was gently kissing every paper cut she had ever gotten. Cleaning away any past pain she had from her books. It was warm, and his skin contrasted with coolness.

  “May I touch your skin?” Cyrus inquired. Julie razed her gaze to him and nodded her head.

  Cyrus slipped a hand over her cheek, brushing his knuckles across her chin and running a hand over her shoulder. Her shirt had fallen slightly to the side and he toyed at the bra strap but left it alone. His touch was like Jack Frost blowing a seductive kiss across her skin, it was unreal, so soft and gentle. Julie felt herself wanting more, wondering what his kiss must feel like.

  “Your heart rate has increased,” Cyrus said sounding concerned.

  “And now you’re blushing, am I doing something wrong?” he drew his hand back and sat up.

  “Oh no, I just, I just liked it,” Julie said, her voice coming out a squeak.

  “And that embarrasses you?”

  Julie nodded her head.

  “You are very intriguing Julie, but I believe that is one of the things I like about you. Shall we go to our date?”

  He began to button up the shirt and Julie tried not to stare. He was not looking at her so it must be okay. Since Cyrus claimed it as a date, she decided to wear a wide skirt that came down just past her knees but was high wasted and had pockets. It was a dark green so she wore a low cut white shirt to compliment it. Her hair usually trapped in a bun she let fall down around her shoulders. Just a little bit of make-up was added and she stared at herself wondering if she could really be someone attractive enough for a Prince. Or maybe he was trying to figure out humanity and all it had to offer Julie was the guide. She steeled her heart towards the later, because there was no way things could go further than one date. He had a brother to kill.

  Still, his eyes seemed to eat her alive when she walked out of her bedroom. There was something in them she wasn’t expecting, there was wanting in that gaze, but he suddenly busied himself with tying his long hair up into a bun on the top of his head. Maybe that look was just her imagination, but she felt a deep tug hoping it wasn’t.

  The drive to the library was filled with his curious questions on how the car worked, where the music came from, and what he was seeing outside.

  “Is your world completely different from this?” Julie asked.

  “We have buildings but we shape them different, and what you call trees we have but they are different colors. The sky as well, it is not as blue,
the sun is not as harsh. We have three moons, we mostly do things during the dark hours,” Cyrus said.

  “Do you have books?” Julie asked.

  “We do, but I do not believe any in human English,” Cyrus said.

  “Does everyone on your planet know human English?” Julie inquired.

  “No, only royals are required to learn languages of other dimensions because we can go between worlds. I am pleased to have landed here, I was not sure where I would go when I jumped.”

  They pulled up to the parking lot of the library and got out of the car. Cyrus was wearing the sunglasses but he informed her he did not like them. They were a just in case. Julie didn’t believe contacts could hide the solar systems in his eyes nor fit.

  “Are you staying long?” Julie asked.

  Cyrus stilled at the question, he took Julie’s hand suddenly and kissed her knuckles. Shivers ran through her cells, all the way down. He wore the sunglasses so she couldn’t see his eyes though tried.

  “I will stay until you need me no more, I do not wish to distress your life.”

  Then he let go and there was an ache in her for him to still hold her hand. Instead she opened the library to see the mess. Her heart sank at all the fallen shelves but Cyrus walked towards two that had collided together and raising his hands to either side the two shelves stood straight. This was going to go much faster then she expected it to go. Cyrus moved to right every shelf that had toppled over but the books were still on the floor. Julie went to picking them up and organizing, starting with fiction. Cyrus was soon beside her. She told him the order they were to go in and he simply did as asked.

  They worked closely together. Cyrus would occasionally brush his hand across her, at first he apologized, but after she said that it was okay he did it more frequently. He moved her hair behind her shoulder once, and found a reason to stretch over her to put a book in a high spot over her head, trapping her against the shelves. He pressed his body against hers and she could feel his need there. They were in the nonfiction section. He slowly brought his hand down to cradle the side of her cheek. Julie was trapped, but she knew at any time she could push him away and he would go.